A&E Dog The Bounty Hunter

Background

Media companies like A&E are increasingly using mobile to reach beyond the
TV screen and interact with viewers. A&E tapped into the power of mobile to
promote one of its most popular shows, “Dog the Bounty Hunter,” and found
that mobile programs drive viewership now and in the future, network loyalty
and word-of-mouth exposure.

Objectives

A&E wanted a creative mobile program that would engage viewers in their target
demographic with entertaining interactions. In doing so, they hoped to keep their
program on the minds of their viewers and build a loyal audience.

Solution

“Dog the Bounty Hunter” follows real-life bounty hunter, Duane “Dog” Chapman,
who is famous for bringing more than 6,000 fugitives to justice and also for his
unique sayings, or “Dogisms.” For example, according to Dog, “To be a winner, you
have to know what losing feels like.” Viewers of “Dog the Bounty Hunter” are able
to sign up to receive weekly messages from Dog on their mobile phones and also
send in their own “Dogisms” by texting into a short code. Viewers’ “Dogisms” are
posted to the AETV Web site.

Results

Thousands of “Dog the Bounty Hunter” viewers have signed up to receive weekly
“Dogisms,”18 percent from the Web and 82 percent from SMS. Qualitative research
conducted during the mobile campaign revealed that mobile marketing does
drive “tune in” for television programs and increases brand perception of both the
show and the network.

• 62% of participants said they are watching “Dog” more as a result of the campaign.
•  65% said they would watch more “Dog” in the future due to the text message campaign.
•  66% said they would watch A&E more in the future due to the text program.
•  93% will recommend the network to their friends.

“’Dog the Bounty Hunter’ offers the type of entertainment that begs for personal
interaction with viewers,” said Stacy Krusch, director of Strategic Alliances & Consumer
Promotions for A&E Network. “With Enpocket’s solutions, we now have new
opportunities to be a bigger part of viewers’ lives by offering them more ways to
enjoy their favorite programs.”